SCREAM Season 1 -- Let The Bloodbath Begin
SCREAM (Season 1): Let The Bloodbath Begin is a fan fiction of Scream written by user Bella Thorne1. It is the first fan fiction to be posted on Donald Newton's story page. According to Bella Thorne1, this is what Season 1 would be in his eyes in a "re-imagine of the MTV Scream's TV show of Season 1. Plot Throwing us straight into the horror was Brett Shimura being butchered by a masked individual after he bullied a girl from his high school. This tells the aftermath of Brett's murder. Meet the Characters BRETT SHIMURA (18) - Lakewood's meanest resident for centuries to come. Brett managed to make so many people despise him, that just about every other character in the story had a motive for his murder. Brett has the most influence over the plot, the setting of the story and has the biggest role all over the story and without him, there would be no story to begin with. Chapter 1 At George Washington High School, Audrey Jensen walked into the cafeteria. Lunchtime had to be the worst for Audrey. Normally she'd get pushed out of line, had food thrown at her or even had her own food tossed out of her own hands but today was totally different. After she sat down at her table, where barely anyone sat at and if they did, they usually take their trays and move somewhere else. Audrey looked around before actually sitting down and later sat her books down beside her. She never really did eat school lunch but if it was something worth digesting then she did. Today was corn dogs and powdered brownies. She did eat the brownie but not the corn dog. After finishing her powdered treat Audrey drank the rest of her milk and that's when the worst happened. BOY (off-screen): Oh, looky what we have here, ladies and gentlemen... Audrey Jensen. Coming from a boy's voice, Brett Shimura showed up, smiling. Audrey knew something bad was about to conjure up and she had no possible way of avoiding it. The camera shakes, as Brett holds it. He looks directly at the camera. BRETT (baby-voice): Awww, is Audrey making a little selfie video for her girlfriend? How sweet. Too bad you don't like guys Audrey, 'cause they wouldn't want to kiss that hole you call a mouth. Brett sat one the left side of Audrey glaring at her, while Brett started poking at her left over food. BRETT (to Audrey): Not eating your corn dog, why Audrey? Is it because you don't like guys? You don't fantasize this corn dog being a guy's instrument shoving down your throat? Let me help you with that... Audrey didn't say anything. Her head fell down and she stared at the face of her empty tray before her. Her eyes burned with fear, rage and sadness but she had no way of stopping the two of them once they've started. Brett snickered and looked over at Audrey, pointing at the corn dog. BRETT (teasingly): I think you are afraid of it. Brett said it with a wide smile on his face. He took the end of the corn dog practically shoving it in Audrey's face while kids all around them witnessed and one of them was Noah Foster. Brett laughed after Audrey attempted to get away but Brett held her back by her hair, holding tight and secure. Brett smiled; his lips firm and plump, before shoving the corn dog in Audrey's face once again. BRETT: Why are you scared Audrey? Huh! Brett pulled back hard on Audrey's hair. The entire cafeteria went into complete shock and silence even Emma Duval and Noah Foster who had just appeared into the cafeteria from the bathroom. Audrey tried many times to get away. To get out of Brett's ruthless taunting presence but it was all worthless and totally useless. AUDREY (pleading): Stop. Brett pulled harder and he teased more. BRETT (teasingly): -- and why would I do that, Audrey? It was gradually getting worse. BRETT: Boys like it when girls suck on it, so suck it! Brett shoved the cold corn dog more into Audrey's face, and Audrey moaned. AUDREY: No, please! Audrey fought trying to hold back the tears that were so close to running finally fell and caused much more issues. Brett began to laugh at Audrey and as the bell rang for next period, they let her go and left with a few threats to finish the job. At the end of the day, Audrey left the school with books in her arms as usual. The sky seemed to be an overcast of grey clouds like a blank grey canvas that had no color and before actually leaving she felt a cool droplet of rain hit her nose. She smiled very small and everyone who was everyone had to at least say one mean thing to Audrey as they passed her to get in their cars or on the bus. BRETT (coldly): Wipe that smile off your face. Brett walked on passed Audrey with Emma and Brett's friend Tyler Miller. Brett gave one last devilish look and that look was at Audrey who was still standing on the sidewalk towards the school holding her video-camera. Brett didn't give any sign of emotion besides hate and fury. Audrey looked away as soon as he walked off and when nearly everyone was gone, she walked herself out. Brett's friend, Tyler Miller is in his red Camaro with one arm hanging from the window and the music blaring with all windows rolled down as Brett walked up to him and jumped inside. 11:38 PM ... The roaring engine of Tyler's Camaro came to a stop, as the two teenagers pulled up to the Shimura household. Brett sat in the passenger seat, while Tyler sat in the driver's side, his hand casually resting on the steering wheel. Brett rolled his eyes and took a sip from a flask. BRETT: It's a time-honored enforcement of the food chain. The weak are outed, and then eaten. Tyler grinned. TYLER: Wow, you're a mean drunk tonight. BRETT (rebuking, words slightly slurring): Oh, please. You agreed that video was too good to post online. TYLER (smiling): Officer, he made me do it. Tyler turned his head toward Brett. TYLER: He makes me do a lot of things. Tyler was sending a suggestive look toward Brett. Brett ignored him, only paying attention to the numerous alerts on his iPhone 6. BRETT (announcing excitedly): Oh, my God. Audrey's breaking the internet. Brett was glad his diabolical scheme was going very well. Everyone was buzzing about the viral video of Audrey Jensen getting harassed in the cafeteria. BRETT: It already has ten thousand views and counting. Smiling, Brett turned to Tyler, with a prideful, satisfied look on Brett's attractive face. Tyler moved closer to Brett, roaming his hands along the steering wheel. TYLER (suggesting): Then why don't you make me a drink while we break the internet, huh? I know your parents are out of town. Brett remained unimpressed. BRETT (unsympathetically): Awww, no. He was unsympathetic toward Tyler's sexual needs. BRETT: I only needed your tech-savvy tonight, not what's in your pants. Opening the car door, Brett stepped out and headed toward his house. Even though his parents were out of town, Brett never planned on hooking up with Tyler tonight. Brett only needed Tyler's extensive knowledge of technology, so Brett could upload the video without it being traced back to him. Brett's shoes clicked against the pavement on the way toward his glass front door, leaving Tyler watching Brett walk away with a longing expression on his face. He tried to remain unaffected, tried to suck it up, but on the inside, it stung — even though he knew it would never last, knowing deep down that an asshole like Brett would never settle for a loser like him. Brett walks up to the front steps of his house. A key clicks into the lock and the front door opens. Brett removes his black leather jacket. He walks through his house, planning on taking a nice, relaxing soak in his hot tub. Not liking the quiet, he opened up an app on his phone. BRETT (commanding into phone): Music on. His head bobbed to the beat, as a pop song started playing from the various speakers around the house. A little while later, Brett changed into black swim trunks. Dinging, Brett's phone blasted with numerous notifications, causing him to look down. Picking his phone up, Brett seeing a video of himself tugging on his swim trunks just a mere few seconds earlier, Brett widened his eyes. Confused, he turned around, surveying his surroundings. But no one was there. Phone dings. "How does it feel to be the star of the show?" Brett sees the text was from Tyler. He turned back around, and noticed the green light shining from his MacBook Air computer; a signal that the webcam was on. Brett shook his head, marching over to his computer and slamming the laptop shut. Leaning against the desk, Brett sighs. BRETT (muttering): Tyler, you are skating on Restraining Order Lake. Getting another text alert, Brett quickly looked down at his phone. "Am I on thin ice?" Freaked out and growing angrier by the minute, Brett started wandering around the house, trying to see where Tyler was. BRETT (calling out): I swear to God if you are in my house, you are dead! He clenches his jaw, growling under his breath. He walks down the hallway. BRETT (calling out): If you want to be an adult about this, I will gut you on command! Brett glanced around the spacious living room, growing nervous at the sight of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded him. He hated being home alone in this house. Especially at night. The windows made him feel uneasy, as if someone were constantly watching him. The glass windows and doors that were almost completely made of glass didn't help much either. It was a very nice house, modern and affluent. But it was in the outskirts of town, way out in the country. Brett always felt so isolated when his parents were out, so alone. There weren't any neighbors around for several miles. The house was surrounded by thick woods on either side. Brett had no reason to be afraid. But still, something about being home alone at night spooked him. He crossed the living room to the patio doors and looked out. An eerie mist hovered over the surface of the Olympic-sized swimming pool in the backyard. It was 11:50 PM, pitch black outside. His parents were out having dinner. He was all alone out in the middle of nowhere. Brett shuddered, feeling a cold chill up his arm. He glanced at the flat-screen television, eyeing the videocassette boxes on top of the VCR. Brett had rented a few horror movies earlier that night at the video store, and hopefully, if he could keep Tyler occupied, he wouldn't be all over him like he usually was. Besides, the only reason Brett wanted him over is so he could feel safe and have someone to calm his nerves to some extent. The kitchen was at the end of a short hallway that connected the living room to the kitchen and dining room. Another hallway branched off into a huge foyer. The entire room was lined with huge glass windows, much like the rest of the house. Brett began to head for the front door. He clicked on the patio lights. A fluorescent floodlight illuminated the porch. Tyler was outside, watching Brett through the windows. Brett slowly walked towards the front door, opens it and slowly stepped outside to the porch in wonder. Brett stared out at the empty porch, lit only by the small lights. He listened to the sounds of chirping crickets. He looked out at the vast front garden, the gnarled oak tree creaking in the night time wind. Brett looks around and scans the area with narrowed eyes, frowning when he noticed that, again, there was no one there. Getting another ding from his phone, Brett looked down at the screen and sees a video playing of himself walking outside from just moments earlier. Brett gasps, spinning around. But still, there was no one in sight. Brett's breath was coming out in short pants, no longer finding Tyler's little game funny. He couldn't help but jump in fright, as another beep came through his phone, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. "Maybe you'll get more views than Audrey's shameful video." Brett froze momentarily, before quickly heading back inside the house; his fear slightly washing away and replacing itself with anger. BRETT (scowling shouting in anger): Well, maybe you should grow up! He walks into the living room and to the side glass door. BRETT: And when you do, I'll be outside! Sensing Brett's movement, the motion-detecting lights turned on, illuminating the pool area and revealing numerous lounge chairs, a large swimming pool, and some aesthetically pleasing plants. Sauntering toward the hot tub, Brett sees steam rising from the heated water. His phone beeps. Brett sat down at the edge of the hot tub, dipping his feet into the hot water as the warmth soothed his tense muscles. But his calm state only lasted for a few moments and was interrupted when a strange noise reached his ears. Instinctively, Brett turned around, trying to push down the fear that gnawed inside him. BRETT (calls out hesitantly): Tyler? The motion-detecting lights shut off, and Brett turns back around to grab his phone, sending a text to Tyler's number. Brett types: "Was that you?" Phone beeps. "Maybe. Is this where it gets interesting?" A smile made its way onto Brett's lips. Brett types: "I may have underestimated you." Setting his phone down and removing his legs from the water, Brett headed toward the other side of the hot tub. He slowly made his way back into the hot tub. Brett seductively watches the backside of the house. He slowly turns around and almost sinks into the water, resting against the wall of the hot tub. As his phone alerted him of another text message, Brett snatched the phone from the edge of the hot tub, unlocking it to see what see what it said. "You're killing me." Satisfied by Tyler's reaction, Brett smiles. Brett types: "Then get over here, and do something about it." After sending the message, he set his phone back down. He leaned against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, his phone dings. A rustling noise is heard from the bushes. Brett opened his eyes, squinting slightly from the rustling. Frowning, he squints to see what the noise was. Brett rises up, quickly reaching out for his phone. Brett grabbed it and scrambled out of the water, panting while he walked in panic, only to keep looking back to see if anyone was following him. After a few moments of walking aimlessly across his backyard, Brett continued across the yard, moving as fast as his weak muscles would allow. He came to a stop by hiding behind a tree. He kept gasping through deep breaths, unable to comprehend what had happened. BRETT (breathing heavily): Oh, my God. A floodlight illuminated the cement patio. Brett looked towards the glass garden doors. Tyler was tied to a chair in the middle of the patio, barely alive. Rope was tied around his hands and feet... duct tape across his mouth…he was bloodied and bruised, and his hair was disheveled and caked with blood... 'Tyler was slumped over in the chair... his stomach had been ripped open... a pool of blood was forming beneath him... a steaming pile of organs lay at his feet... Brett felt another overpowering wave of nausea come over him. The floodlight turned off, immersing Brett in darkness once again. Just as Brett was about to call out for help, in the hopes that one of his neighbors would hear him, Brett felt the tip of a wicked-sharp knife slash horizontally across his back. He felt the cold steel of the blade slice the flesh open, digging deep. Brett heard the sound of scraping bone as the blade cut across his back. Blood leaked down his bare back. Brett lets out a strangled scream of agonizing pain. The pain scorched and wracked at his body, taking over as the only sensation in his mind, body and soul. Brett felt himself drop to his knees and sink to the grass, landing in a thud. Brett's hand desperately reaches behind him to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't reach the injury. Brett groans in pain. With his back stinging from the gruesome slash wound, Brett looked up and saw his attacker. Brett slowly staggered to his feet and stumbles across the grass, desperate to escape. However, from the pain he's enduring, Brett dropped down onto the grass. He fumbles, trying to crawl away, but the energy was quickly draining from his body. While trying to stand up with as much strength as he could muster, Brett limped across the grass in a last attempt to escape. But Brett didn't have the strength to go any further. Brett moaned in pain, dropping down to the ground again, his back coated in blood. Crawling forward, he continued to whimper, and the white ghost masked figure in a black hooded poncho wrapped his arm around Brett, and lifts him to his feet near the edge of the swimming pool. The masked figure pulled Brett to him, gripping Brett with his arm. Brett beats at the figure while wrenching from side to side, crying helplessly. Tears leak out of his eyes, as he felt the life inside of him slowly slip away. The hunting knife pressed against the left side Brett's neck. But his desperate pleas for help came to an end, as soon as the hunting knife swiftly glided across Brett's throat, with the cold steel of the blade slicing the flesh open with a sickening gushing sound. Brett choked on the blood that began to fill his airways and feels the oxygen escape his lungs. Not even bothering to check and see whether Brett was still alive or not, knowing that if he wasn't, he would be soon, the masked figure carelessly tossed the limp Brett into the ground, his body lies in front of the back gate. Brett's back is curved, his head is bowed, and his limbs are bent and drawn up to his torso. Chapter 2 At school the next day, kids were all over campus, but mainly in the courtyard. At one of the tables sat Emma Duval's friends Brooke Maddox, Jake Fitzgerald, Riley Marra and Emma's boyfriend Will Belmont. Caleb Duval and Emma were walking towards the table that seated Emma's friends. CALEB: You think they'll like me? EMMA: Don't be so nervous Caleb, I got your back. And yes they will, you're smart, funny, and really good-looking. So yeah they'll like you, besides they're cool. CALEB: Okay. Just don't tell them I'm gay. EMMA (smirking): I won't, I promise! Emma and Caleb reach the table and the occupants look at the two. EMMA: Hey guys! BROOKE: Hi Emma. JAKE: Sup, Ems. RILEY: Hey Emma. WILL: Hey babe. Will gets up and kisses Emma, who kisses back. BROOKE: So who's the guy with you. EMMA: Oh right, guys this is my cousin and best friend Caleb... Caleb waves and grins shyfully. EMMA: He just got here yesterday from San Francisco, he'll be staying with my mom and I from now on. I thought it be okay if he sat with us. BROOKE (introducing herself): Well, nice to meet you, Caleb. I'm Brooke Maddox, the Mayor's daughter. And my-my you are pretty good-looking, if I must say so. Caleb smirks at her compliment. CALEB: Thanks. WILL: I'm Will Belmont, your cousin's boyfriend. Its great to finally meet you. She's told me a lot about you. I've heard you're a pretty cool guy. CALEB: Thanks and my cousin Emma here, never told me about a boyfriend. EMMA: Oh yeah, I was going to tell you about Will. I'm really sorry I didn't get to though. I was going to last night, but we both got tired and didn't get to finish talking. CALEB (smiling): Its cool Emma. I'm happy for you both. EMMA: Thanks, Caleb. WILL (smiling): Yeah thanks. RILEY: Its nice to meet you Caleb, I'm Riley Marra. Riley holds her hand out to shake Caleb's hand, who shakes it back. JAKE: I'm Jake Fitzgerald and Brooke's mine, so don't get any ideas about taking her from me. CALEB: Oh don't worry, I won't. I'm not into girls. His eyes widen instantly and so does Emma's. EMMA (mouth agape): Caleb! You just... CALEB: I know and I didn't mean too either. BROOKE: Wait, you're gay? CALEB: Yeah...? Caleb's expression shows awkwardness and scared. BROOKE (smiling): I think that is super cool, don't worry you're secret safe with me. RILEY: Yeah I don't care if you're gay either, to be honest I think its great. I'll keep your secret. WILL (grinning): I think its cool too. I won't tell anybody, secret is safe with me, scout's honor. JAKE: Look if you're gay, then you're gay. Nothing to be ashamed about, I'll keep your secret. Just don't tell Brett. This causes the others to mumble an agreement with him. CALEB: Thanks guys, that means a lot. I owe you all one. RILEY: No problem and no you don't owe me anything. BROOKE: You're welcome Caleb, and don't owe me anything, okay? WILL: You don't owe me anything either. JAKE (jokingly): You owe me 100 bucks! EMMA (snaps): Jake! JAKE: Calm down, jeez. I was only kidding. CALEB: Thanks again guys. So who's Brett? WILL: The super tyrant of this school. If you tell Brett you're gay, then he'll spread it through the whole school, and the entire town. Just like that one girl, Audrey. Emma sits down beside Will. EMMA: Well, are you gonna sit down or what? CALEB: Oh I don't know, I mean this is the popular table. And I'm definitely not popular. RILEY: Don't be silly, you're Emma's cousin and you're really good-looking. I'd say you're qualified to sit here. CALEB (nervously): Are you sure? WILL: Yeah, sit down. JAKE: Yeah, come on. BROOKE: We don't bite. CALEB: Okay. Caleb removes his backpack and sits down on the other side of Emma. Suddenly, a commotion behind them gets them all to look in the direction of a girl. She's getting laughed at by a group girls. EMMA: I thought we agreed to trash that video? CALEB: What video? WILL: That girl and her "girlfriend" were having a make-out session, which Brett caught and recorded and put online and it spread like wildfire. That was two days ago. We just came back from Disneyland. CALEB (stunned): Wow, Brett is a dick. EMMA: Caleb! Surprised, Emma has never heard her cousin say something like that about someone. CALEB (chuckling along with everyone else): What? Its the truth isn't it? BROOKE: Audrey was bound to come out one day. Look at her. Just like Caleb, he was bound to come out to us and then he did. JAKE: What's the big deal if she is a lesbian? I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm cool with Caleb being gay. EMMA: Okay, the big deal is it wasn't her decision to tell the world. Jake scoffs at her. EMMA: Jake? JAKE: I wasn't the only one on that group thread. And I did delete that video. After I sent it to P.J. Girl-On-Girl is his demographic. Jake chuckles. He hits Will on the arm, who's chuckling with him. EMMA: Riley? RILEY (frowning): Sorry. Zoe saw it on my phone. EMMA: Do you guys even understand the term "viral"? RILEY (looking around): I don't see Brett anywhere. CALEB: I don't see that Brett anywhere either. Riley nods her head agreeing with him. Brett Shimura, one of Emma's best friends, hadn't contacted her since the other day: no texts, no calls, no emails, no Facebook messages, no tweets. Coming from someone else, she wouldn't have really thought about it much, but coming from Brett, it was bizarre. Majorly bizarre. Brett always had his phone with him. He couldn't survive without it. Literally. That thing was his lifeline. Wherever Brett went, his phone came with him. And he would either be texting Emma for his next evil scheme that he concocted in order to destroy someone's life (for his own amusement, of course) or all about the next boy on the basketball team Brett was blackmailing with that week, giving everyone all the details. So, the fact that Brett hadn't texted her since after school the previous day had Emma, well, worried. And when it came to her friends, she couldn't help but be worried. Emma gritted her teeth in frustration, trying to ignore the odd gnawing sensation that she seemed to have at the pit of her stomach, along with the paranoid thoughts that threatened to invade her mind — the same thoughts that always managed to drive her brain to the worst possible conclusions. Running her hands through her hair, she let out a sigh. Brett probably just caught up, she reassured herself. Most likely with Tyler, Brett's best friend. WILL (to Emma): You know Brett did the wide release. BROOKE (deadpanned): Of course it was Brett. He's a atrocious psychopath with no impulse control. I mean, he's probably ditching right now to avoid your good-girl wrath. Emma looks at her. BROOKE: Em, your little friend will be fine. EMMA: We're not really friends anymore. WILL: Just give it 24 hours, okay? Someone will text and drive their hybrid into a tree and we'll have a new headline. BROOKE: Maybe Audrey will control her anger into creative energy for one of her little films. WILL: Emma, it sounds like to me, that she'll be fine. Don't worry all that stress will cause wrinkles. Emma and everyone else laugh. We smash to black. Chapter 3 Maggie Duval and Sheriff Clark Hudson are in the backyard of the Shimura household. Sheriff Hudson crouches down at the edge of the back gate, examining Brett's bloodied body. MAGGIE (to Sheriff Hudson): Jesus! Some teenager gets murdered and ends up like Nicole Brown Simpson? SHERIFF HUDSON: I can't believe this is happening again, Maggie... MAGGIE: Me neither. Sheriff Hudson scoffs softly. After Math class was over, Emma left the locker room and headed for the library. Emma looked over at Kieran Wilcox and Kieran looked at Emma. They both smiled and Kieran bumps Will Belmont against the hall of lockers, after realizing that they were pretty much the only ones out of class right now. As Will drew closer to Emma, she had found out something was different about Will. Will didn't dare ask though. Will stopped and backed away with a chivalrous look on his face. WILL (chivalrously): Ma'am. Jake Fitzgerald gave Will a look, which was more of a 'double-take'. WILL (quietly): Isn't Brooke waiting for you? EMMA (into Will's face): Yeah. See ya. Emma got in Will's face with crazy white teeth and all. Her voice was so soft. Kieran watched. When the bell finally rang, Kieran fled off and Will stayed behind. WILL (softly): Tell your mom I said "hi". Will left Emma standing against the lockers, picking up her books and clearly late for next period. We smash to black. WOMAN OVER PA: Brett Shimura's death is a great shock. Once you've seen the grief counselor, you are free to return home. Classes will resume tomorrow. The school's puny bully, Brett Shimura, was dead. The King of Mean had stepped down from his throne -- or more like he was pushed off of it. It felt like everything around Emma came to a stop and everyone around her was in slow motion, like in the movies, the camera zooming in on her tear-stricken face. Emma wasn't sure what to feel. She wasn't sure whether to burst out crying -- again -- or start yelling at the world for playing such a cruel joke on her. One of her best friends died. Except, Brett didn't just die: he was murdered. It was said that Brett's parents found Brett lying in the same position as Nicole Brown Simpson, crimson colored blood surrounding him like a halo. There was a rumor going around that Brett's throat was slit from ear-to-ear. After Emma heard that, she had the urge to puke up her lunch. Just thinking about her friend like that made her sick to her stomach. Turns out, death doesn't affect you as much when you hear about a stranger dying. If you hear about that old man's obituary in the paper, you get sad for a second and feel some pity for his family members. But it's different when it's someone you know -- someone you saw alive, well, and smiling the other day. Emma covered her face with her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. Trying to get herself to relax, she took in deep breaths. After calming herself down, she cleared her throat, removing her hands from her face and sitting up in her chair, spotting the concerned gaze belonging to a worried Kieran Wilcox. KIERAN: You okay? It was a stupid question, that was a given, but Emma appreciated it, seeing as it showed that he cared enough to ask. Obviously, she shook her head in response. JAKE (annoyed): This Wi-Fi sucks. Caleb rolled his eyes. RILEY (snipping under breath): It's a school; the Wi-Fi is supposed to suck! Looking down at his phone, Jake let out a sigh. JAKE (dully, disappointed by lack of information): The cops aren't saying much. Just that Brett's mom found his body, victim of foul play, I need gory details. Emma scoffed. Could he be anymore insensitive? One of their friends died, for crying out loud. She glared at him, not even bothering to come up with an insult, too upset to even come up with a snappy comeback. After a few moments, someone cleared their throat. Emma raised an eyebrow at the somewhat familiar lanky teenager, a boy she recognized from the school's library — where he would browse through the crime section alongside her. They never spoke, really, but he seemed nice enough. Emma squinted her eyes. Noah Foster was Audrey's little friend, she thought to herself. Irritated, Emma crossed her arms. EMMA (retorting, lack of sympathy): Gee, I don't know, maybe because one of our classmates just died. Emma scoffed, gritting her teeth. Noah tapped his fingers against his thighs. NOAH: No, but seriously, I feel shock, mild interest -- definitely not grief, though. Also fed up, Riley rolled her eyes. RILEY: Guys, Brett was murdered in cold blood. Do you not even care? Emma shook her head. EMMA: It just doesn't seem real. Everything was a blur. It felt like an awful dream -- one that they had all yet to wake up from. CALEB: I never even met the boy. Noah looked irritated. NOAH: Well, lucky you. Finally getting some worthy information, Jake's face light up, keeping his eyes glued to his phone screen. JAKE: Here we go: one of Brett's neighbors just tweeted that Brett's throat was sliced open from ear-to-ear. Emma bit her lower lip. This was all just too much. She blinked rapidly, feeling the sensation of bile in her throat. EMMA (whispering, disgusted): Who tweets something like that? Jake ignored her, still gazing down at his phone. JAKE: The press is all over this. They're playing the whole 'Maybe Brandon James is Back' angle. Caleb and Emma both froze, angry, but for entirely different reasons. Clearly disturbed and enraged, Emma clenched her jaw. EMMA: Brandon James is dead. Her voice was indisputable, indicating that this was the end to this discussion. The blonde-haired girl scoffed, getting up from her chair and walking away. Chapter 4 BOY: I heard Brett's throat was slit. GIRL: No, I heard that he was stabbed. In the midst of grabbing her books out of her locker, Emma froze. Murmurs of gossip circled around her, and it seemed as if a majority of the school was discussing the recent, but not so tragic, news of Brett Shimura's murder. Emma shook her head. It just made her sick how everyone was talking about Brett's death with such flippancy. She knew that Brett definitely wasn't the most well-liked person in Lakewood, but still, couldn't anyone just show a shred of sympathy? Clenching her jaw to stop the impending tears from pooling out of her eyes, she put the rest of books in her bag and slammed her locker door shut, beginning to walk away and head toward where her friends said for her to meet them in the courtyard. BOY (calling out): Emma, wait up! At the sound of someone calling out her name, she spun around, spotting Kieran running toward her. Her lips quirked upward slightly, at the sight of the boy, but she couldn't prevent herself from furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, not sure why he went out of his way to talk to her, seeing as they hardly even knew each other. The blue-eyed girl tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, clearing her throat awkwardly. EMMA (muttering): Oh, hi. It wasn't the friendliest of greetings, but it wasn't the unfriendliest of greetings either. Kieran was a new kid, and with Brett's murder occurring just around the time he happened to move to town, Emma felt that she had every right to be suspicious. She bounced on the balls of her feet, tightly gripping her binder with one hand and tapping on the fabric of her skirt with the other, desperately trying to ignore the tension that filled the air and circled between them both. Kieran smiled. It was a genuine smile, one that made the suspiciousness clouding Emma's mind slowly begin to vanish. KIERAN: Hi. Kieran eyed her curiously. KIERAN (hesitantly): Are you okay? You know, with Brett's death and everything. Emma blinked, slightly surprised. It was an innocent question, but one that she dreaded. She knew he was only trying to be polite, to see how she was doing, but just saying it out loud made it so much more real. She sent the boy a smile of reassurance. Granted, it was a fake one, but she just hoped he wouldn't take notice of the fact that it wasn't genuine. EMMA: It's hard, but I'm dealing. Kieran eyed her wearily, clearly not buying her 'It's all good' attitude. Trying to ease the tension, Emma let out a chuckle. EMMA (admitting): Truthfully, well, I'm a mess. Don't get me wrong -- I'm totally aware of the fact that Brett was a complete dick, and I'm guessing that you got wind of his notorious reputation, by now. After a few beats, Kieran nodded. EMMA: But still, Brett was my friend. And it was just a shock, you know? I mean, you hear about the death of someone you don't know, and you get sad, feel some pity. But when it's someone you do know... She trailed off. Emma let out a puff of air, her eyes glazing over slightly. EMMA: It just doesn't seem real. Kieran smiled slightly. KIERAN: I get that. Emma raised a skeptic eyebrow. EMMA (surprised): You do? Emma didn't mean to pry, but she couldn't help but wonder, her curiosity getting the best of her. A fleeting pained expression washed over Kieran's features. Clearing his throat. KIERAN: My mom and step-dad died. Car accident. It's, uh, why I moved here. Emma frowned, and she couldn't stop her face from clouding with pity. EMMA: Oh. That was all she could come up with. Shifting slightly on her feet. EMMA: ... That's awful. I'm so sorry, really. Kieran mustered a small smile. KIERAN: Thank you. Emma licked her lips. EMMA (announcing awkwardly): Uh, listen, I have to go meet my friends. She pointed to the courtyard behind her. Kieran nodded, waving his hand. KIERAN: Oh, yeah. Um, sure. Go ahead. Emma tapped her foot against the linoleum, getting a feeling that she might regret doing this. But regardless, she reached into her bag, pulling out a scrap of paper and a pen, writing something down. EMMA: Here's my number. She handed him the slip of looseleaf. EMMA: You can call me, if you want. Emma gave him one last look, sending Kieran a warm smile. Kieran watched Emma walk away, and once she was out of sight, looking down at the piece of paper in his hands. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the freshly-inked sheet, a faint smile making its way toward his lips. KIERAN: I will. As soon as Emma made her way to the courtyard, she found everyone crowded around a laptop, listening intently as the sheriff, Clark Hudson, announced the status of the case for the murder of Brett Shimura. Emma played with the frayed ends of her jean jacket, still uncomfortable with all of this. She couldn't believe that just last week, her and Brett sat on her bed, watching old movies and giggling over Audrey. But now Brett was dead. And it was all just so hard to process. SHERIFF HUDSON (on laptop): At this point, we are questioning persons of interest, and we're looking for Mr Shimura's friend, Tyler Miller. If anyone has any information on his whereabouts, call the hotline number on the screen. Thank you. Emma shook her head, quickly moving to slam the laptop shut. RILEY: So, Tyler did it? For reals? Riley looked toward the group with wide, doe-like eyes. Emma scoffed at the ridiculous assumption. EMMA: Tyler couldn't have done it. Jake raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. EMMA (defended): What? Emma rolled her eyes. Brett was dead, and this was so not the time for petty jealousy. BROOKE: We all know that Tyler is about as harmless as a maltese puppy. Brooke and Jake both nodded their heads in agreement. Even though Brett and Tyler fought every other week, Tyler liked Brett, and Brett was the last person Tyler would ever hurt. WILL: Emma's mom worked the scene. He looked toward his girlfriend. WILL: Tell them what you heard. Emma sighed, her shoulders slumping. EMMA: A neighbor saw Tyler's car parked out front, around the time that Brett was murdered. Riley let out a sarcastic chuckle. CALEB (rebuking): Uh-huh. And was this the same neighbor who tweeted that Brett's throat was slit? His eyebrows raising in suspicion. CALEB: How do we know they didn't do it? WILL (muttering under breath): And here come the conspiracy theories... Brooke snapped her head toward the jock, squinting her eyes in annoyance. Sensing a fight brewing, Riley spoke up. RILEY: What else did you hear, Em? Once again, Emma sighed, hating to be the one to bring this up. EMMA: Well, there was no sign of forced entry, and Tyler's fingerprints were found on a glass in the kitchen. And now, his foster parents can't find him. Nobody can. RILEY (whispering): When he was with Brett, they were almost always at each other's throats, but how could Tyler do that? Riley was not able to grasp the fact that Tyler killed Brett. After all, it's what the cops were saying, and she couldn't help but believe it, despite her and Tyler's friendship. Emma licked her lips. EMMA (shrugs): I don't know. He must've been upset about something and snapped, I guess. But still, she didn't believe it. It was Tyler. Sure, Emma wasn't that fond of him, but deep down, she knew he could never do something like this. Gazing at her tablet, Brooke furrowed her eyebrows, an inquisitive expression on her face. BROOKE (mused): Do you think one keg is gonna be enough? Jake twisted his mouth in discontent, a judgmental look crossing his face. EMMA: Brooke, are you sure a party's the best idea right now? Brooke scoffed. BROOKE (shooting back imdigantly): It's a prayer vigil. Brooke was a bitch, that was a given, but she wasn't that insensitive. BROOKE (shrugs): People in mourning get thirsty. JAKE: Em, your mom's tight with the sheriff, right? Do you know if they went through Brett's laptop? Will glared at his friend. EMMA: And that is so important to you, why? Emma was put off by the sudden and strange question. EMMA: You watch any pornos on there? Forget to erase your pervy internet history? Jake chuckled. JAKE: No. And for your information, I do that on my computer. Riley unwrapped Jake's arm from around her shoulder. RILEY (muttering): Well, consider me celibate, then. Chapter 5 Will soon be released.